Retreats & courses 2026
These retreats & courses are available with reduced rates or financial assistance. For more info please contact the relevant organisation.
For (very occasional) updates follow River on Substack or Instagram.
Meditations and talks by River are available on Dharma Seed.
5,12,19 March 2026. Waking up in the midst: Dharma in daily life. 3 evening session online course with Sheffield Insight Meditation.
27-29 March 2026. The Call to the Beloved. Gaia House online retreat.
25 April. Tending Joy, Sustaining Compassion. One day in-person retreat. Alderwasley Village Hall, Amber Valley, Derbyshire.
10-13 July. Young Person’s retreat: A
Retreats 2025
These retreats & courses are available with reduced rates or financial assistance. Some are on a dāna (donation) basis. Please contact the relevant organisation.
30 Jan – 20 Feb 2025. Rest and Renewal: Cultivating Inner Resources. Four online Thursday evening sessions with Sheffield Insight Meditation.
22 March. Between the Words: Poetry and Meditation. Online day retreat. Gaia House.
30 April – 5 May. Metta in Motion: Qi Gong and Meditation retreat. Freely Given Retreats, Dartmoor, Devon.
16-21 June. This Precious Human Life: Contemplating Mortality. Residential retreat. Gaia House.
23-27 July. Rainbow Dharma. A retreat for the LGBTQI+ community. Residential
Retreats & courses June-Dec 2024
All of the offerings below are available with reduced rates, bursaries, or financial assistance. Please contact the relevant organisation.
18 June. Writing and mindfulness. Online workshop with The Poetry Business
23 June. The Subtle Art of Caring: Cultivating Compassion in Challenging Times. Half-day workshop/retreat with Bahia Yoga. Nottingham.
12-17 July. The Heart of Wisdom and Compassion. 5 night Retreat. Gaia House, Devon
2 August. ‘Meet the author’ event at International Mindfulness Conference, Bangor
21-28 September. ‘Freedom In Nature – Inside and Out’. 7 night retreat. Freely Given Retreats, Devon.
20 October. The Subtle Art of Caring. Day retreat. Shrewsbury
*NEW* course: Sustaining Compassion starts 11th May
I’m glad to be offering a new course, starting on 11th May 2024: Cultivating and Sustaining Compassion in Challenging Times. Organised by Sheffield Insight Meditation, the course is based on my recent book The Subtle Art of Caring: A Guide to Sustaining Compassion.
You can book now for this course, which begins with a half-day retreat (in-person in Sheffield, or online) followed by four online Thursday evenings. Course fees are on a sliding scale £0 – £45.
Sat 11th May. 9.15am – 12.15
Thurs 16th May. 7.30 – 9.00pm
Thurs 23rd May. 7.30 – 9.00pm
(no session on 30th May)
Thurs 6th
The Subtle Art of Caring
New book out now … The Subtle Art of Caring: A Guide to Sustaining Compassion.
Online launch 21 Nov, Windhorse Publications
In person launch 23 Nov, Juno Books, Sheffield
Online event: 29 Nov, Gaia House
Podcast interview with Dhammamegha Leatt from Windhorse, about the book’s origins and intentions
2023 retreats & courses
6th May -15th June. Deepening Practice: Becoming Embodied. 7 session course, starting with a half-day retreat (in-person or online), then 6 online sessions. Sheffield Insight Meditation. Info & booking
28th May. Poetry and group contemplation practice. With readings from ‘Year’.Hosted by Insight Meditation Mid-Wales. 4 – 5.30pm. Online.
3rd – 7th July. Rainbow Dharma: a retreat for the LGBTQI+ community. Co-teaching with Bernat Font Clos and Katrin Auf Der Heyde. In-person and live-streamed. Gaia House. Info & booking
11th-16th August. Stillness Flowing: Mindfulness in movement and meditation.